OKAY- I feel like the loop giveaway debate has been getting super controversial, & I have recently seen some massive hate on loop giveaways, so I figured it’s time to share my thoughts on participating in loop giveaway1.
I read that some people are unfollowing their favorite bloggers just because they participated in a loop giveaways, & I am just not down with that… for the most part. If a blogger is posting a loop giveaway every week, I can totally see how that can be annoying & may deserve an unfollow, but if you’re favorite blogger participates in one every once in a while… don’t jump the gun on that unfollow button. If done right, loop giveaways can actually be a succesful marketing tool IMO.
I am always completely transparent with you guys. So yes, I have participated in about 5 loop giveaways over the years. I don’t do them often, but if I find the right one, I am not not down. I’ve even organized one myself to ensure that I get a good group of girls to join in.
If you’ve been on the edge of whether or not you want to do a loop giveaway, I am hoping that my thoughts on the good/bad/ugly of loop giveaways will help bring you some clarity on whether or not it’s a good fit for you!
What is a Loop Giveaway?
Basically, a loop giveaway is a giveaway that works in a (you guessed it) LOOP. Basically, each person has a call to action in the caption to follow the tagged account & this goes on until entrant makes it make around the loop to where they started.
The prize is usually LARGE & so are the results for the participants involved (with followers ranging from around 3k to 15k!).
The participants all put money into a virtual pot to buy the big prize at the end & when it’s time to go live, everyone goes live at the exact same time so they don’t break the loop. The giveaway coordinator sends out instruction to all participants, typically in WeChat.
The Pros of Loop Giveaways
A loop giveaway has a lot of PROS if you do it right, which is why I want to share with you guys a few things I have learned from the loop giveaways I have participated in.
First & foremost, if you are invited to a loop giveaway, RESEARCH THE PERSON HOSTING IT. Find out if they are legitimate!! My first loop giveaway was a total fraud & I got ripped off, along with everyone else in the group. You want to make sure the person hosting is trustworthy, has proof they are actually shipping prizes to LEGIT winners (not one of their friends which was what happened to me), & you want to make sure they do not buy BOTS.
Next, you want to ask to see the image & see the participants who are signed up in the giveaway. I always like to see the image because if it is some weird graphic, I don’t trust it. I would only enter one with a styled flat lay. Looking at the participants is also super important because you need to make sure they have a target audience similar to yours. If the participants are all vegan influencers & you are a fashion blogger- that’s just not gonna convert well in the end. Stick with your niche to ensure you’re actually marketing towards the RIGHT group of people who will engage with your content.
If you hit all those checkmarks, the main benefit you will see is HUGE increase in followers, & typically during the giveaway, a lot of engagement on your account which also helps attract people to your account organically. Plus, if one of your readers get chosen, you get to give them a rad gift!
The Cons of Loop Giveaways
Of course, there are some cons when it comes to loop giveaways. First, you should know, it ain’t cheap to participate in one. The prize is always big, & since I personally prefer a smaller/more niche loop, the cost for each participant can definitely get up there.
The main con everyone talks about is that all the followers fall off at the end. This I have found to be true, but I am not mad at it. The people that unfollow are usually the spammy people who found the giveaway via a hashtag & I’d rather not have them stay & just lurk around. The ones that stick, which is a lot, end up being engaged & loyal readers.
During the giveaway, spam happens & it can get kind of annoying. I hate a spammy comment.
Another big con for me is that people think participating in a loop giveaway is basically the same thing as buying followers. This is so not true!!! Buying followers is a whole other ball game. They are unengaged fake people. The followers you get from loop giveaways, if you get in the RIGHT one for your target market, is a marketing tool that helps other people who would enjoy your content find you.
WHAT I’M WEARING
H&M Leather snap pants (on sale for $15!!!) | black ribbed turtleneck | nude coat (sold out- similar here & linked a few more below!) | Public Desire nude booties (sold out- similar here & here) | Le Specs ‘Last Lolita’ sunnies (budget version here)
How to Find a Loop Giveaway
Well, this is kinda tricky. A lot of loop giveaway accounts will slide into your DM & typically they are kinda spammy. I prefer word of mouth! If I see a blogger who is doing what looks like a really legitimate loop giveaway, I just ask her for the contact of who hosted it. If they hosted one, they will probably host another & you can just ask them to put you on their list.
Now- there are also secret loop giveaways where only the sponsors have to post the photos (not the participants). I knew I was gonna write this post, so I definitely wanted to try it out to report back. TBH- I am not 100% sure how I feel about it. The audience was right & I have gotten a lot of new followers from it, many of which already seem to engage authentically with my content, but I have also gotten a ton of spammy comments.
Since you are not neccesarily IN the giveaway, you don’t know what hashtags they are using to attract people. I am actually looking forward to the drop in followers cause I don’t need spammy/odd accounts following me!
OKAY- so there you have it, my thoughts on LOOP GIVEAWAYS. What do you guys think? If you were anti, did I change your mind? If not- that’s okay. We don’t all have to agree but I will always be down to share my views with you guys!
x, E
[ PHOTOS BY ARIELLE LEVY ]
Ok so my issue is that as a giveaway participant, I feel like I’ve taken part of many giveaways in the past and…. that’s it. I have no idea if the giveaways were legit, they don’t announce winners, etc. It’s pretty time consuming for the participant too, based on how many required follows are in the pool. Do you have any tips as to how you can tell if the giveaway is legit and prizes are actually awarded??
I totally feel you on this one which is why I do SO MUCH RESEARCH on the loop giveaways I enter!!! I feel like as an influencer participating in these giveaways it is my responsibility to make sure I am not getting involved in a situation that is slighting anyone. On the giveaway entrants end- I can see how it could be frustrating to spend all that time & never know who won!! Now a lot of accounts are hosting them a different way that makes it easier to see if it is legit. Basically, they direct everyone to ONE account & you have to follow everyone they are following, versus going through a loop. I’d only participate in these because then you can contact that account to make sure they post proof of who entered.
All of this giveaways I have done, they ask us to choose someone who commented on our account & then they do a random draw!